1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging lens and an imaging apparatus, and more particularly to an imaging lens suitable for use in a vehicle mounted camera, a portable terminal camera, and a surveillance camera that utilize an image sensor, such as CCD's (Charge Coupled Device), CMOS's (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), and the like as well as to an imaging apparatus equipped with this imaging lens.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, image sensors such as CCD's, CMOS's, and the like have achieved significant miniaturization and increased numbers of pixels. Accompanying these developments, as the bodies of imaging devices equipped with these image sensors also have achieved miniaturization, there is demand for imaging lenses to be mounted therein to be miniaturized in addition to having favorable optical performance. Meanwhile, there is demand for imaging lenses to be applied for use in a vehicle mounted camera, a surveillance camera, and the like to be miniaturized, be capable of being configured at low cost, and to have wider angles of view and higher performance. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Nos. 2009-216858, 2010-107531 and 2010-072622 propose imaging lenses of a six-lens configuration, in which a negative lens, a positive lens, a negative lens, a positive lens, a positive lens, and a negative lens are arranged in this order from the object side, as imaging lenses to be mounted on vehicle mounted cameras.